Public education in the Lonestar State is the worst idea you’ve ever had, America.

Sometimes I forget how backwards Texas is…I mean, I have met the most open-minded people in my life in this great state. Sometimes I forget, though, that even though I have chosen to surround myself with brilliant-minded people, that the Lonestar State is not entirely made up of such folks. I got a reminder today of just how ignorant this state can be: Why Texas Sucks More Than Any Other State

Notice a common theme in all of them?

Texas is notrequired to provide sexual education to students. (Because it’s definitely not information that’s necessary for life. As opposed to ‘the year Napoleon crossed the Alps’ or ‘the genus of prairie animals’, both of which were taught to me in my Texas high schools.)

When the state doesprovide sexual education, it is notrequired to provide HIV education. (Because, you know, if you deny the existence of a sexually transmitted infection, it will totally go away.)

Texas, being of sound mind and body, is not required to provide medically accurate sexual or HIV education to their students. (Because literally nothing can go wrong when you’re telling a student what their genitalia is or is not capable of. Like, I don’t know, “oral prevents STDs” or “rapes can’t cause pregnancies” or, my boyfriend’s favorite, “your hand will fall off if you masturbate”.)

Now, when Texas does, miraculously, provide sexual education to its students: it is required to provide information on abstinence (because there’s just so much to share, right? Such a broad topic) but not on contraception (because there are zero health benefits to being able to control your period, girls).

And, lastly, while Texas is not required to provide sexual education and is allowed to lie to its students (seriously, medically inaccurate data? WTF), the state must only include negative information on same-sex relationships. (Because why start telling the truth now?) Texas is one of only three states to promote negative information about same-sex relationships to its students.

I did not receive sexual education in either of my two Texas high schools. Thankfully, I had a Southern Baptist father who also refused to provide me with any idea of what my vagina is supposed to do. Top that off with a mother who doesn’t speak to me and I’m basically a star student for the Blue Bonnet State! Ignorance at its finest! At least in terms of sex ed.

What does this mean for all my fellow Texans? It means you should seriously reconsider letting your kids attend the “sex ed” classes that their schools provide. And, you should research heavily what it is these classes are telling your children. If this scene from Mean Girls is any indication, public school educations can do more harm than good: